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The Knights of Venastapoli
The Knights of Venastapoli are considered to be the elite guard of Eddaros Stokell II and the supreme fighting force of the General Venastapolitan Army. Founded in the year 1387 by Sir Ceranio Forei under the orders of the ruler at the time, the Knights of Venastapoli began as a small, mercantile force of 500 men. Now they number over 7,000, split into garrisons of 300 for each town and city in Venastapoli. Origins The Knights of Venastapoli were originally known as the King's Mercantile Defence Force, founded in the year 1387 by Sir Ceranio Forei, one senior knights under the command of King Oberos Stokell. They were a group of about 500 mercenary soldiers and were based in West Obrany, which was newly conquered Tuskellian land and needed a force to keep it and it's residents secure and under Venastapolitan rule. Current The Knights of Venastapoli, in the time of Redmantle Online, are at their peak. They are the deadliest and most efficient fighting force anybody in Ardel has ever witnessed since the Nassanese Wa-zai-ki swordsmen who all but wiped out the tribal people living in the Nassanese jungles. They number at around 7000 with numbers still increasing as forced conscription becomes a more dominant policy in Venastapolitan society. Equipment All Knights of Venastapoli are considerably more well-equipped than their counterparts in the General Venastapolitan Army. They wear chainmail armour underneath a surcoat bearing the Venastapolitan crest, with a closed full helmet and a gorget and steel greaves and sabatons. Most armour is worn on the side of their swordarm. The armour they wear on that side includes a steel spaulder, vambrace, rerebrace and couter. These tend to be reinforced with leather, both for comfort and to reduce the force from blows. Meanwhile, on the other side they only have a leather vambrace, as they are not expected to turn their unarmoured side to an enemy. They are all trained to use long, short, heavy and ranged weapons to be adaptive to any combat circumstance - from fighting close quarters to picking off enemies from a range with deadly accuracy. The Knights, even without all of their armour, are still a force to be reckoned with. Each one is taught how to kill a man in 15 different ways with his bare hands. Because of all of this intense physical training, the Knights are also incredibly strong men, which makes them strike fear into their enemies when they appear on the battlefield. Tactics Generally, Knights of Venastapoli patrol in groups of five. They tend to be composed of a heavy swordsman or halberdier at the front, with two light swordsmen behind him and two heavier swordsmen behind them. The two pairs of men are matched to use opposing hands, so one would use his left while the other used his right. This effectively allowed for a "turtle" formation, where each man's armoured side would be facing outwards even while walking in formation. In battle, however, the Knights form a wall with their armoured side facing the enemy and their weapons pointing the same way. This essentially provides a solid wall of plate metal and steel for the enemy to run into. When the initial wave of enemies has attacked, the Knights disengage from their wall and go to fighting conventionally, with deadly efficiency. When posted as guards, Knights work in threes. Two Knights guard the door while the third watches over their charge inside the room. Codes of Honour The Knights of Venastapoli are bound by what is known as "The Ceranian Oath". This oath states that a Knight of Venastapoli will do all that is necessary to protect himself, his king and his brothers. The training they go through drills this concept into them, effectively turning them into stone cold, emotionless killing machines. However, many of the Knights retain their sense of morality and have even gone as far as to disobey direct orders from their superiors. Such Knights are known as 'Craverds', and are looked down upon by other Knights. Hierarchy There are five ranks in the hierarchy of the Knights of Venastapoli, which goes as follows: 1. Recruit 2. Initiate 3. Swordsman 4. Knight 5. Captain Notable Members Antonéo De Vancassrö - Also known as the Buzzard, Anto played a large part in crushing the Mejanan rebellion of 1421. Darryl Cerbantes - Also known as the Fox. He, alongside Buzzard and a mysterious night elf stopped a plot to start a war between all of the countries of Ardel. Sir Ceranio Forei - The Founder of the Knights of Venastapoli. Claario Volantes - One of the more renowned Knights, he has lost very few single combats, and won nearly all of them Sir Nastrodantes DeMagianis - One of the most brutal Knights that ever walked the land of Ardel. Rumours say that he was asked to kill one of King Dobreyses' bastard daughters, and he did so in a way so brutal it cannot be spoken of today. Trivia - The Knights of Venastapoli are loosely based off of the Musketeers featured in Alexandre Dumas' "The Three Musketeers". - Claario Volantes' feats are a reference to one of the project manager's experiences in fencing, where he won most of the matches he played.